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Cincinnati student hospitalized after shooting himself

CINCINNATI -- After an honor student shot himself in the head in front of classmates Monday morning, the La Salle High School community is shocked, puzzled and hurt. Greg Tankersley, director of community

Teachers, parents and students at LaSalle High School can't understand what would make the honor student take such an action.

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CINCINNATI -- After an honor student shot himself in the head in front of classmates Monday morning, the La Salle High School community is shocked, puzzled and hurt.

Greg Tankersley, director of community development at La Salle, said: "This is not something we expected this morning at LaSalle High School. Our message is to parents out there take the time to tell your kids that you love them. I mean, this is a tragedy. We're very proud of our LaSallian community and our student body couldn't be stronger today. They're gonna deal with this. We'll get through it."

School officials and the boy's parents have asked news outlets not to name the student; the Enquirer is withholding the name of the boy, who was described as an honor student with more than 80 hours of community service. The student was still alive Monday evening at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Parents of the young man released a statement this afternoon: "We thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. We ask that the media please respect our privacy at this time so we can do what we need to do for our son and our family. We also ask that friends of our son and family please refrain from Facebook and Twitter comments. We appreciate the heroic efforts of UC Medical Center staff as they care for our son."

The shooting occurred in a computer lab just after 9 a.m. in front of nearly two dozen classmates, officials said. Those witnesses have been interviewed, police said.

One call to 911 came from a group of about 20 distressed students and a teacher who had locked themselves in a nearby classroom.

"We're huddled in a corner," a young man whispered to a Hamilton County dispatcher, before handing the phone to another student who said he had been in the computer lab when the shooter pulled out a gun.

"I believe my teacher tried to subdue him," another boy told the dispatcher. "I ran out of the room."

As soon as the shooting occurred, the first priority was to ensure student safety, Tankersley said.

Green Township Police Chief Bart West said the school was locked down as soon as officers confirmed the teen had shot himself. That order was lifted after the emergency crews took the teen to the hospital.

All of the students at the all-male private Catholic school were gathered in the gym and dismissed early, officials said.

Anxious, angry parents

Many parents, some angry and others anxious, began streaming onto the school property when news of the shooting began to spread. They were directed to the school cafeteria.

Tankersley said parents were sent an email roughly 35 minutes after the shooting that said no other students were threatened by the young man. Many parents say their sons called or texted them to be picked up.

Tankersley said students and staff are doing well, considering the circumstances.

"Our foundation at La Salle High School is very strong," Tankersley said. "And we pull together in good times and bad."

Cincinnati City Councilman Charlie Winburn, whose son, Joseph, is a La Salle student, was one of the parents at the scene. The incident was "so unfortunate for all of the kids involved," he said.

But some parents said that even though they had confirmation that their sons were safe, they are worried about the effects of the shooting.

"I'm frightened," said Kristina Jolly, parent of a freshman. He did not witness the shooting, she said.

Jolly said the school has been a good influence on her son, despite recent events that have caused concern, including the February shooting death of another young man, 17-year-old Justin Brown, whom police say was killed in a drug deal in Monfort Heights while with several friends. Prosecutors confirmed Monday that there is no connection between Brown's death and Monday's shooting.

Other parents questioned how a gun got into the school in the first place, including Nigel Everett, a Westwood parent who was picking up his stepson, a freshman.

"With all the shootings in schools, you'd think La Salle would have had it covered," Everett said.

West said it remains unclear how the student brought a semi-automatic handgun into the school, and investigators are trying to find out who owns the gun.

The school's backpack policy calls for students to place backpacks in their locker during the day to be retrieved at the end of the day. Tankersley said the school will be reviewing the current policy to see if any adjustments are needed in response to Monday's shooting.

School officials said after-school activities were canceled Monday but classes and activities will resume Tuesday. The school day will begin with an all-school prayer service. Grief counselors will remain available at the school and extra police will be stationed there, officials said.

"We think it's important to have our young men back in the building so we can talk with them and help them deal with this situation," Tankersley said.

Before then, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil said explosive-detection canines will search the school grounds as a precaution.

Safety plans in place

Jim Rigg, director of Educational Services/Superintendent for Archdiocese of Cincinnati schools, said all 114 schools in the Archdiocese – including La Salle – have a safety plan on file with the Ohio attorney general's office. Those plans specify how situations such as Monday's shooting should be handled.

Green Township police reviewed the safety plan in December 2012 and the archdiocese verified the safety plan in earlier this year, Rigg said. The safety plan was followed Monday.

Green Township Trustee Dave Linnenberg said the incident underscores the need for more mental health intervention.

"This country has to start focusing more on mental health issues," Linnenberg said. "No child should choose to give up on life at such a young age."

Suicide or attempted suicide by gun is not uncommon among teens.

Nearly 20,000 of the 30,000 deaths from guns in the United States in 2010 were suicides, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national suicide rate has climbed by 12 percent since 2003, and suicide is the third-leading cause of death for teenagers.

Guns are particularly lethal. Suicidal acts with guns are fatal in 85 percent of cases, while those with pills are fatal in just 2 percent of cases, according to the Harvard Injury Control Research Center.